Matthew's "Pop Song" Workspace

Lifework

Industrial designer Matthew Plumstead is having quite a year. The Cranbrook grad debuted his wall-mounted valet, Clip Tree (above), at the ICFF in New York where it was an ICFF Studio award winner. With raves from the press and public, he decided to bring the Clip Tree to market via Kickstarter...

Recently, Matthew founded a design studio, McCarty Quinn, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, with a focus on useful and contemporary home and office products (Integrated Workstation below). Take a listen to the music that's inspired him along the way in this week's Playlist.

What do you listen to while you work?What I listen to is all over the map, though I think it probably trends towards electronic music where the lyrics are not the primary focus. More atmospheric in the morning and more energetic in the afternoon. There is an absolutely amazing public radio station here called 89.3 The Current who will play Afrika Bambaataa, Tom Waits, and LCD Soundsystem back to back and then a fantastic local band. So I will stream them some mornings.

How do you listen?I typically use my iPad to stream music via Spotify to my stereo using an Airport Express Base Station. Having one less app open on my computer while I work is nice.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?When I actually buy music these days, which is increasingly rare, I use eMusic. They were always a great source for smaller label bands and musicians but now offer big label artist too. I almost solely use Spotify to listen to music. It has completely changed the way that I "collect" music. On occasion I'll use Pandora because their stations are better than the Spotify Radio option.

Does music influence your work?One of the things I love about music is how musicians continue to invent and come up with new sounds and structures. It is this spirit of invention and newness that inspires me and influences my work.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?I have to admit that the main source of influence is the online music guide, Pitchfork. They have turned me onto a lot of great music.

What song or artist best represents the work you create?That is a hard question. I'd like to think that my work is well-edited and minimal, maybe like a good pop song.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist:The ideal place to listen to my playlist is the Aeron Chair with polished aluminum base and Black Tuxedo Pellicle fabric. Combining that chair with your work surface and my playlist will result in some inspired work. I promise!